How Good It Really Is
by danielle-xo
Summary: Luke and Lorelai, the way it should have been from the beginning. Takes off from episode 1.10 "Forgiveness and Stuff."


_Here we are for another one! I've had a few ideas going through my head for a while, so after taking some time to write them all down I kept hearing this little voice of a story that was begging to be written. This time we're starting from the beginning and hopefully changing the entire course of the series to fit the dreams we'd been having for years. I have future chapters written to an extent, but please just bear with me for now. I know it starts off with a lot of dialogue from the show, but it'll sail its own course eventually, I promise. For now I'm just laying out the foundation for the good stuff._

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own these characters. I love them so much that if I did, I probably wouldn't share them because I'm too selfish._

_***_

It was a couple weeks before Christmas and it seemed as if everyone was feeling the cheer. The children proclaimed their excitement as the snow steadily fell, ensuring them a day full of fluffy white fun instead of going off to school. Lights covered the square, making the town twinkle in the night. The war re-enactors were preparing for the big day; a yearly tradition that was cherished by the townspeople. Everyone seemed absorbed in the spirit of the season. That is, everyone except Lorelai Gilmore.

She watched as her daughter closed the front behind her door as she left the house. Rory was on her way to Emily's annual Christmas party, which was probably the only time Lorelai actually enjoyed seeing her mother. But this year was different. Lorelai had been uninvited.

Lorelai rolled her eyes and rested against the doorframe thinking about all the disagreements that had led up to this event. When Lorelai was awoken by her mother one morning a few days ago to find out that her beloved daughter hadn't come home that night, all the chaos started. Of course Lorelai's main concern was finding out where Rory was, but Emily's yelling didn't improve matters by any means.

"_Lorelai. Get up, now. Right now!"_

_Lorelai grunted her disproval of being woken up this early in the morning. "What?"_

"_Rory's not home." Those were the three words that nearly stopped her heart. She looked at her mother in disbelief. It just couldn't be true. _

"_Rory's what?"_

"_I sat in that chair all night. I dozed off for one second, and the next thing I know it's 5:30 and she's not here."_

'_No it's not true,' she thought. The fear and desperation was eminent in her voice. "Rory?" _

_It didn't take much for Emily's annoyance to get the best of her. "She's not there! Aren't you listening?"_

"_Rory? Rory!" Her bed was empty. 'Oh my God, it is true.' _

Lorelai slid her back down the doorframe until she sat on the floor. She rested her forehead in her hands as she shook her head, trying to figure out how things could have gone so wrong.

"_Get out!" Lorelai screamed at her mother._

"_What?" replied a shocked Emily._

"_You will not come into my house and tell me I threw my life away!"_

Lorelai sighed as the memory replayed in her head like a bad dream. 'I was right to throw her out, wasn't I? I didn't deserve to be spoken to like that in my own house, right? And those things she said about Rory. She's just mad that I humiliated her sixteen years ago. She's just jealous that I actually have a relationship with my daughter, unlike she does with me. Isn't she?' Lorelai recalled her fight with Rory that morning.

"_You are not getting pregnant!"_

"_I'm not sleeping with Dean."_

_Between her mother and her daughter, Lorelai had taken more than she could bear. "Damn it!"_

"_You're just mad because I screwed up and I did it in front of grandma and she nailed you for it."_

_Lorelai couldn't deny her daughter's words._

"_But I didn't do anything, and you know it!"_

Lorelai leaned back against the doorframe and blinked rapidly; trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to make an appearance. She did know it. She knew her daughter would never do anything intentional to hurt her. What hurt the most was that she knew that's what her mother had felt sixteen years ago. This was why Lorelai had been uninvited to the Christmas party. She knew her mother was only afraid that Rory would take the same path that she had taken at her age.

Pushing her hands against her thighs, Lorelai stood up and stared at the front door that Rory had left through a few minutes earlier. She rubbed her watery eyes with the heels of her hands and shook her head slightly to rid herself of her thoughts. She looked around the quiet house deciding what to do next. After a few moments of thought, she grabbed her jacket and her purse from the table and headed out the door to the only place she could think of where she could be consoled on an evening like this. Luke's.

Lorelai walked into Luke's Diner and planted herself on one of the stools with an agitated expression on her face.

Luke walked over and asked, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Lorelai put on a fake smile. "And a happy holiday to you too," she said in a voice drenched in sarcasm.

Luke rolled his eyes at her mockery and said, "I just meant that you don't look too good."

Lorelai gasped and covered her heart, pretending to be taken aback. "Whoa, two insults in a row. You're on your way to a world record, my friend."

Luke sighed. 'There's just no way to please her, is there?' he thought. "I didn't mean it like that. You always look good," he grumbled.

Lorelai's eyes lit up at yet another opportunity to be her usual unapologetic mocking self. "Good how?" she asked with a flirtatious smile.

Luke felt the blush rising in his cheeks as he realized what he had said. "Aw geez, Lorelai," he said, slightly embarrassed. "What I meant," he grumbled, "is that you look pissed off."

"Well aren't you quite the little psychic" she replied dryly.

Luke put both hands on the counter and leaned closer to her before he softy asked, "Is it Rory?"

When Lorelai opened her mouth but hesitated to speak he leaned further, putting his face close to hers so they couldn't be overheard by anyone in the crowded diner.

His concern for her was etched on his face as he asked, "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

Lorelai couldn't help but smile at her friend's willingness to help her in any way possible. 'How can such a nice person be hidden behind a cranky exterior like that?' she wondered.

"Well," she started, "my mother's annual Christmas party is today."

"Christmas party? But Christmas isn't for another two weeks," he began to rant.

"Yes, I know-" Lorelai started but Luke cut her off.

"Who the hell has a Christmas party two weeks before Christmas?"

"Luke-"

"What, is the Fourth of July gonna be celebrated in June now?"

Lorelai threw her hands up in frustration. "Oh my God! Get over it," she screamed.

Luke took a deep breath to calm himself. "Sorry," he grumbled.

Lorelai gave him a half smile and said, "It's okay, I like ranting Luke."

He chuckled and said, "Like him how?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes, "Gee, Carson, that was hilarious."

"Hey, you started it," he retorted back.

She put her palms up in surrender. "Fine, I'm done mocking you."

Luke rested his elbows on the counter. "So, something was bothering you."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Today is my parents' big Christmas celebration. There's good food, these amazing apple tarts, a big tree. It's the only holiday I actually enjoy going over there for. And this year, I've been uninvited."

Luke's confusion was apparent as he asked, "Why?"

Lorelai sighed and said, "Um, I'm sure you've heard about my fight with Rory somewhere through the grapevine."

Luke chuckled and said, "If by 'through the grapevine' you mean Miss Patty and Babette, than yes, I have heard about it, but not all the details. They did say it had to do something with that punk kid she's going out with."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, she went with him to a dance at Chilton. But they fell asleep at Miss Patty's. My mother stayed over my house 'cause I was feeling like crap, and when she realized Rory hadn't come home that's what started it."

Luke's anger start rising once again. He clenched his fists and muttered, "That son of a bitch," under his breath.

"Luke," Lorelai said, trying to calm him.

Luke snorted, "Why are you sticking up for this kid? I knew right from the beginning that he was trouble. Now look what's happening!" he said, his voice rising as he waved his arms frantically.

"Luke, really-" Lorelai protested.

Luke shook his head and said firmly, "So help me God, if that kid lays even a finger on her I'm going to hurt him so bad."

"Luke, stop it! It wasn't even his fault," Lorelai cried, her eyes watering as she felt the lump in her throat growing larger.

Luke covered his face with his hands before taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry," he said looking down, unable to meet her gaze. Slowly, he made his way around the counter to sit on a stool next to hers. As he sat down, a customer behind said, "Excuse me, this isn't what I ordered. I wanted the chicken fried, not grilled."

Luke stood up and spun on his heal to face the customer. The man shrunk a little in his seat at the sight of Luke towering over him, his jaw flexing in anger. He pointed behind him in the general area of where Lorelai was sitting before he said, "No, excuse me. Can't you see I'm busy?"

Lorelai piped up behind him. "Luke, really. You're working." She picked up her purse and began to get up as she said, "I'll come back in a little while when the rush dies down."

Luke pushed her back down and growled, "No, you stay there." He turned back to the customer and said, "You either wait until I'm done talking or get out. Do you understand me?"

"But," the man started to protest.

"Do you understand me?" Luke yelled, causing silence to spread across the packed diner.

The customer nodded mutely before returning his attention to his plate. Luke sat back down on the stool and said, "Sorry about that."

Lorelai looked up at him with pleading eyes. "You really should be working, and I shouldn't have come in here in the first place knowing you'd be busy."

Luke lowered his voice, "No, Lorelai. You came here to talk, and I'm here to listen. It's obvious that something else happened, and I'm not getting up until I find out what it is."

"Okay," Lorelai answered quietly. She began to retell her story about that horrible morning when she was awoken to find out her beloved daughter was missing.

"I knew Rory would never do anything wrong. My mother just used the whole thing as a not-so-subtle way to yell at me yet again for getting pregnant. She wanted to make me feel like Rory would leave me, just like I left her sixteen years ago," she ended with a sigh.

Luke drew in a deep breath, finding himself at a loss for words. "Wow, I'm so sorry."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, well, that's life. It just sucks, you know? Especially around this time of year when everyone's supposed to be all happy and everything."

"I know I can't really be of much help, but is there anything I can do?" Luke offered.

Lorelai smiled at his kindness and said, "No, but thank you. This will all pass over eventually. My mother was just being the wonderful person she is. I just hate that she started this whole thing between me and Rory, but that's just the way the Emily Gilmore plays the game."

Luke nodded his understanding. "Yeah, I guess."

The bells over the door chimed as Taylor walked into the diner talking a mile a minute. Luke groaned as he got up, knowing that nothing positive could come from a visit by Taylor Doose.

Lorelai looked on with avid interest. Within just a few seconds of the show starting, Luke began to raise his voice, his patience with Taylor having already been shattered instantaneously. Lorelai sat on the edge of her stool to watch the fight, always enthusiastic about the possibility of one man throwing something at the other.

Her excitement was interrupted by the sound of her cell phone vibrating in her purse. After retrieving it from her too-stuffed bag, she flipped it open to see that she had been left a voice message from Rory. It was hard to hear over Luke and Taylor's bickering, but from what Lorelai was able to make out, it didn't sound too good.

Luke was in mid rant when he heard Lorelai say "Oh my God," behind him. He turned around find his friend sitting wide eyed with panic, clutching her cell phone to her ear.

Taylor was in mid sentence when Luke put up a hand to stop him and muttered "Shut up, Taylor," before turning around. "What's going on?" he asked her.

"Uh, my father's in the hospital," she stammered.


End file.
